Hitachi Systems Acquires CBT, Italian IT Service Company to Enter European IT Market

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February 20, 2015
Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Cosmic Blue Team S.p.A.

Tokyo, Japan and Rome, Italy - February 20, 2015 - Hitachi Systems, Ltd. (“Hitachi Systems”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), and Cosmic Blue Team S.p.A. (“CBT”), an IT service company based in the Italian Republic (“Italy”), today announced that Hitachi Systems will acquire CBT and make it into a wholly owned subsidiary named “Hitachi Systems CBT S.p.A.”. Hitachi Systems will be advancing procedures in order to complete the acquisition within March.
With this acquisition, Hitachi Systems aims to shore up its IT services business in the IT markets in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

The Hitachi Group has been pushing ahead with global expansion of its social innovation business for resolving issues facing society and customers by achieving innovations with solutions that combine its products, services and information technology.
Particularly in the Information & Telecommunication Systems Business, the Hitachi Group defines the expansion of its global service business as one of its priority measures. Under these circumstances, Hitachi Systems, as a core company of the Information & Telecommunication Systems Business in the Hitachi Group, has carried out studies aimed at securing a business footing and at expanding business with a view towards offering managed services that include monitoring and operations to support stable system operation, cloud services, data center services and security services in the European region.

On the other hand, CBT is one of the leading IT service providers in Italy. For around 35 years, it has offered a wide variety of IT services, including system design and construction, operation and maintenance, application development, cloud services and data center services. In recent years, it has considered shifting from the system construction business to the managed services business in which high-rate growth are expected.
On this background, Hitachi Systems made the decision to make CBT into a wholly owned subsidiary.

Hitachi Systems and CBT will combine their products, services, technologies, know-how and management resources to offer a wide variety of IT services centered on managed services, cloud services and data center services to local companies, Japanese companies and other foreign companies in Italy. Italy is one of the key IT service markets in Europe. By adding CBT to its group, Hitachi Systems will embark on its IT services business in Italy and gain a business footing in Europe. Hitachi Systems aims to expand its IT services business in European IT markets in collaboration with the Hitachi Group companies based in Europe.
The Hitachi Systems Group is taking many different actions with a view towards achieving the targets specified in its medium-term management plan, specifically net sales of 500 billion yen and an overseas sales ratio of 10% for the fiscal year ending March 2016. With this corporate acquisition, Hitachi Systems will work to strengthen and enlarge its global business in an attempt to attain those targets.

Comment from Hitachi Systems

“I am very glad to have CBT as a new member of the Hitachi Systems Group. Italy is one of the key IT service markets in Europe. It is so promising that steady market growth is anticipated. In particular, the sectors of IT infrastructure and cloud services, in which Hitachi Systems is strong, are expected to make particularly rapid growth. Hitachi Systems will be positively promoting to European firms its advanced IT services that will be generated by integrating CBT's solid customer base and IT service infrastructure in Italy with its own technologies and services,” said Naoya Takahashi, President and CEO of Hitachi Systems.

Comment from CBT

“I feel very happy that CBT's participation in the Hitachi Systems Group will enable CBT to make a significant step forward towards achieving its business strategy. CBT is one of Italy's leading IT service providers with six offices and two solid data center bases in Italy and partnerships with over 25 major IT vendors and over 1,200 certifications and qualifications. I am convinced that CBT will dramatically expand its IT service business based on a multivendor approach in Europe by capitalizing on its 35-year track record, advanced technical capabilities and a broad array of IT services, service bases and partnerships that cover all of Italy in addition to Hitachi Systems' ample technologies, brand power and management resources,” said Paolo Angelucci, President and CEO of CBT.

CBT Overview (as of the end of January 2015)

Hitachi Systems Overview (as of the end of March 2014)

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2013 (ended March 31, 2014) totaled 9,616 billion yen ($93.4 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, power systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com (open in new window).

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